No 6469
Wednesday 14 June 2017
Vol cxlvii No 35
pp. 585–658
16 June, Friday. Full Term ends.
21 June, Wednesday. Congregation of the Regent House at 2.45 p.m. (Honorary Degrees).
25 June, Sunday. Easter Term ends.
27 June, Tuesday. Discussion at 2 p.m. in the Council Room (see below).
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Discussions at 2 p.m. |
Congregations |
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27 June |
21 June, Wednesday at 2.45 p.m. (Honorary Degrees) |
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11 July |
28 June, Wednesday at 10 a.m. (General Admission) |
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29 June, Thursday at 10 a.m. (General Admission) |
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30 June, Friday at 10 a.m. (General Admission) |
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1 July, Saturday at 10 a.m. (General Admission) |
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21 July, Friday at 10 a.m. |
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22 July, Saturday at 10 a.m. |
The Vice-Chancellor invites those qualified under the regulations for Discussions (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 103) to attend a Discussion in the Council Room on Tuesday, 27 June 2017, at 2 p.m., for the discussion of:
1. Report of the Council, dated 7 June 2017, on a viewing and interpretation structure at the Botanic Garden (Reporter, 6468, 2016–17, p. 582).
2. Report of the Council, dated 13 June 2017, on the financial position and budget of the University, recommending allocations from the Chest for 2017–18 (p. 604).
3. Joint Report of the Council and the General Board, dated 13 June and 7 June 2017, on procedures for student complaints and reviews (p. 628).
4. Report of the General Board, dated 7 June 2017, on Senior Academic Promotions (p. 646).
5. Report of the General Board, dated 7 June 2017, on the re-establishment of a Sir Evelyn de Rothschild Professorship of Finance (p. 650).
6. Report of the General Board, dated 7 June 2017, on the reorganization of the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages (p. 651).
7. Report of the General Board, dated 7 June 2017, on the re-establishment of a Department of Social Anthropology, and the renaming of the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology (p. 653).
Further to the Notice dated 13 March 2017 (Reporter, 6459, 2016–17, p. 400), the Vice-Chancellor gives notice that, in the election held from Tuesday, 16 to Friday, 19 May 2017, the following person was elected to be a student member of the Council and the General Board in class (d):
Joshi, Darshana, HH.
Joshi, Darshana, HH.
The Council has received the following Grace which has been initiated under Special Ordinance A (i) 5 by fifty-one members of the Regent House:
That the words 'provided always that any person who is qualified for membership in class (b), class (d), or class (e) shall cease to be so qualified at the next promulgation after he or she attains the age of seventy years' in Statute A III 10 be deleted.
A list of the signatories is set out in Annex A.
The Council will consider the Grace at its meeting on 17 July 2017.
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A. B. S. Abulafia |
S. Houghton-Walker |
K. J. Patel |
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D. S. H. Abulafia |
Christopher J. Howe |
P. Robinson |
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S. Ala’i |
J. R. Howell |
R. L. Roebuck |
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V. N. Bateman |
H. E. M. Hunt |
A. F. Routh |
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A. D. Bond |
K.-T. Khaw |
J. E. Sale |
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N. Collings |
N. G. Kingsbury |
M. C. Smith |
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S. R. Elliott |
P. F. Kornicki |
R. J. Smith |
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A. R. Fersht |
J. Lasenby |
C. A. Stewart |
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C. F. Forsyth |
J. A. Latimer |
D. K. Summers |
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R. J. Gibbens |
A. Launaro |
J. T. Tiffert |
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D. A. Giusanni |
P. J. G. Long |
S. T. Trudgill |
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S. J. Godsill |
P. A. Lyon |
D. J. Wales |
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G. R. Grimmett |
J. S. L. McCombie |
P. Wingfield |
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S. K. Haigh |
M. E. McDonald |
G. P. Winter |
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W. J. Handley |
R. J. Miller |
A. D. Yates |
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I. R. Henderson |
P. D. G. Milloy |
J. A. Zeitler |
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D. M. Holburn |
K. M. O’Shaughnessy |
L. K. Zeitler |
1. Regulation 3 of the regulations for Cambridge University Students’ Union (Statutes and Ordinances, p. 186) states that ‘No amendment of the constitution of Cambridge University Students’ Union to give effect to a change in the objects of the Union shall have effect unless Regulation 2 has been amended by the University.’
2. The current wording of Regulation 2 is as follows:
2. The constitution of Cambridge University Students’ Union shall provide for the objects of the Union to be:
(i)to advance the education of its members;
(ii)to provide, in the interests of the social welfare of its members, facilities for recreation or other leisure-time activity, being facilities:
(a)that will improve their conditions of life by enabling and assisting them to participate in the intellectual, social, and other activities of or connected with the University; or
(b)of which they have need by reason of their being students;
(iii)to promote equal opportunity for access to Cambridge and its affiliated institutions for all applicants, and furthermore to encourage access to the University for applicants from backgrounds under-represented in the University;
(iv)in furtherance of the objects specified above, to act as a channel of communication between its members and Cambridge University and other bodies.
3. The University has received notification from Cambridge University Students’ Union that the Union proposes to revise its constitution, including the objects clause, to one more closely based on the model recommended by the National Union of Students; the objects also include a revised version of Cambridge University Students’ Union’s commitment to promoting equality of opportunity as it relates to access. Accordingly Cambridge University Students’ Union has requested that University approval be granted to amend Regulation 2 as follows:
2. The constitution of Cambridge University Students' Union shall provide for the objects of the Union to be:
(a)the advancement of education of students at the University of Cambridge for the public benefit by:
(i)promoting the interests and welfare of students at the University of Cambridge during their course of study and representing, supporting, and advising students;
(ii)being the recognized representative channel between students and the University of Cambridge and any other external bodies; and
(iii)providing social, cultural, sporting, and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of its students; and
(b)the promotion of equality of opportunity in education for the public benefit by in particular:
(i)promoting access to, and success at, the University of Cambridge and its affiliated institutions; and
(ii)encouraging access to the University of Cambridge for applicants from backgrounds under-represented in the collegiate University.
4. This form of words has been recommended for approval by the Council Committee for the Supervision of the Student Unions, which exercises the Council’s duty of general oversight of Cambridge University Students’ Union (and the Graduate Union) under section 22 of the Education Act 1994 and refers matters, as appropriate, to the Council. (It also has the support of the Charity Commission and the firms of specialist solicitors acting for Cambridge University Students’ Union and the University in these matters.)
5. The opportunity is also taken to add the Disabled Students’ Officer to the list of sabbatical officers (to be inserted after the references to the Women’s Officer) in Regulation 7 who shall not be defined as the holders of a major union office (as all members are not entitled to vote in an election to this office) and may, with the support of a Tutor, apply for an allowance under the regulations for Allowances to Candidates for Examinations.
6. The Council has agreed to accept the Committee’s recommendation and is accordingly submitting a Grace (Grace 1, p. 656) to the Regent House for the approval of the amendments to Regulations 2 and 7 as set out in paragraphs 3 and 5 above.
1. The Council has approved amendments to the University’s Code of Practice in respect of student unions issued under section 22 of the Education Act 1994. These amendments to the Code of Practice reflect proposed changes to the constitution of Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) approved by a referendum of the Union’s members in March 2017, which will come into effect on the approval of the changes to the objects which are the subject of a Grace (Grace 1, p. 656). The revised version of the Code of Practice is annexed to this Notice.
2. The amendments to the Code of Practice have been recommended for approval by the Council Committee for the Supervision of the Student Unions (CCSSU), which exercises the Council’s duty of general oversight of Cambridge University Students’ Union (and the Graduate Union) under section 22 of the Education Act 1994 and refers matters, as appropriate, to the Council.
3. The revisions to the CUSU constitution include the transfer to standing orders of certain detailed provisions concerning matters that are under the oversight of the CCSSU, including those relating to the following: the annual reporting of affiliations and subscriptions paid to external organizations; election and referendum procedures; the identification of major union officers and the standing of the Women’s Officer and the Disabled Students Officer. The revised constitution also contains a clause which provides a mechanism for reporting all changes to standing orders to the CCSSU. The Council is satisfied that, with this reporting mechanism in place, it is able to comply with its statutory obligations under the Act.
1. Section 22 of the Education Act 1994 places a number of responsibilities on governing bodies of universities (as defined by section 21, sub-section 5). Sub-section 3 of that section provides that every governing body shall prepare and issue, and where necessary revise, a code of practice as to the manner in which the requirements of sub-sections 1 and 2 are to be carried into effect in relation to any students’ union for students of the establishment, setting out in relation to each of the requirements details of the arrangements made to secure its observance. The present code of practice is issued by the Council in respect of Cambridge University Students’ Union (CUSU) and Cambridge University Graduate Union.
2. Sub-section 1 requires the governing body to take ‘such steps as are reasonably practicable to secure that any students’ union for students of the establishment operates in a fair and democratic manner and is accountable for its finances’. This requirement is fulfilled through compliance with the requirements of the Ordinances for each union, with the provisions of the present code of practice, and with the constitutions of the two unions.
3. Sub-section 2 requires governing bodies to take ‘such steps as are reasonably practicable to secure that the following requirements are observed by or in relation to any students’ union for students of the establishment’. These detailed requirements are dealt with below.
(a) Written constitution: Unions should have a written constitution.
Both CUSU and the Graduate Union have written constitutions.
(b) Constitutions to be approved by the governing body and to be reviewed by it. The provisions of unions’ constitutions are to be subject to the approval of the governing body of the university and to review by it at intervals of not more than five years.
The constitutions of CUSU and the Graduate Union were reviewed on their recognition by the University and on subsequent occasions when amendments have been proposed; the constitution or standing orders for each union require amendments of the objects clause to be approved by Grace, and require the Council to approve other amendments to the constitutions. The constitutions of the two unions are reviewed in the Easter Term each year by the Council, acting through their Committee for the Supervision of the Student Unions (CCSSU).
(c) Opting out. A student should have the right not to be a member of a union or in the case of a representative body which is not an association to signify that he or she does not wish to be represented by it and students who exercise that right should not be unfairly disadvantaged with regard to the provision of services or otherwise by reason of their having done so.
The constitution of each union provides for students to opt out of membership. The standing orders for each union include detailed provision governing resignation by members; a form for this purpose may be obtained from the University Offices, The Old Schools, or from the officers of either union. The Council has been informed that the unions would nevertheless wish to continue to make their services available to students who choose not formally to be members and the Council has made it a condition of University funding of the two unions that this should be so. Payments should normally continue to be made by College student unions to CUSU or the Graduate Union as the case may be in relation to any student who has opted out of membership.
(d) Election to major union offices. The Act provides that appointment to major union offices should be by election in a secret ballot in which all members are entitled to vote.
The constitution or standing orders for each union indicate which sabbatical offices are to be regarded as major union offices and the constitution for each union requires that election to these offices is by secret ballot.
(e) Union elections. Governing bodies are required to satisfy themselves that union elections are fairly and properly conducted.
The standing orders for the two unions require them to submit to the Council electoral schemes for the conduct of elections. The unions have agreed that the Council is to be informed of the appointment of returning officers, to confirm their appointment, and to receive from the returning officers a report on the conduct of elections. The CCSSU deal with this business on behalf of the Council.
(f) Sabbatical or paid elected offices. A person is not to hold sabbatical union office, or paid elected union office, for more than two years in total at the establishment.
A provision to this effect is included in the constitution or standing orders of each union.
(g) Financial management. The financial affairs of unions are to be properly conducted and appropriate arrangements are to exist for the approval of unions’ budgets, and the monitoring of expenditure by the governing body.
Under the HEFCE Audit Code of Practice, the two unions are within the scope of the University’s internal audit service and of the Audit Committee of the Council. It is a condition of University grant to both unions that interim half-yearly reports on expenditure should be made to the Council, and the Council will invite the CCSSU, and if necessary the Finance Committee, to consider these reports, and the accounts and estimates of the two unions.
(h) Financial reports. Financial reports of unions are to be published annually or more frequently, and are to be made available to the governing body and to all students; each report is in particular to contain a list of external organizations to which the union has made donations in the period to which the report relates and details of these donations.
Compliance with these requirements is a condition of grant from the University. The unions will circulate their accounts annually to JCR and MCR presidents and equivalent, who will make them available for reference in Colleges by junior members. The accounts will also be available for reference by junior members in the University Offices, The Old Schools, and, in respect of each union, at its own offices.
(i) Groups or clubs. The procedure for student unions to allocate resources to groups or clubs is to be fair and is to be set down in writing and freely accessible to all students.
In Cambridge the principal allocations to University clubs and societies are made not by the unions, but by two University bodies, the Societies Syndicate and the University Sports Committee. To the limited extent that the two unions make allocations to groups, clubs, or societies, they are required to operate fairly and to approve a written procedure, to be approved by the Council through the CCSSU.
(j) Affiliation to external organizations. If a union decides to affiliate to an external organization it must publish notice of its decision stating the name of the organization and details of any subscription or similar fee paid or proposed to be paid and of any donation made or proposed to be made to the organization, and such notice is to be made available to the governing body and to all students.
Appropriate reference has been made in the constitution or standing orders of each union.1 Notice to the governing body is to be given to the CCSSU on the Council’s behalf, and notice to students is by circulation of notices for display in Colleges.
(k) Report on affiliation. When a union is affiliated to any external organization a report is to be published annually or more frequently containing a list of external organizations to which the union is currently affiliated and details of subscriptions or similar fees paid or donations made to such organizations in the past year or since the last report, and such reports are to be made available to the governing body and to all students.
Appropriate provision has been made in the constitution or standing orders of each union and each year a list of the external organizations to which a union is affiliated shall be reported to the CCSSU on the Council’s behalf.1
(l) Review of affiliations. There are to be procedures for the review of affiliations to external organizations under which the current list of affiliations is submitted for approval by members annually or more frequently, and at such intervals of not more than a year as the governing body may determine and under which a requisition may be made by such proportion of members, not exceeding five per cent, as the governing body may determine, that the question of continued affiliation to any particular organization be decided upon by a secret ballot in which all members are entitled to vote.
Appropriate provision has been made in the constitution or standing orders of each union. The Council has determined that the proportion of members seeking a requisition for a secret ballot shall be two per cent, and that such a requisition may be made once a year, in the Lent Term. Each year unions shall report to CCSSU to confirm that the current list of affiliations has been submitted for approval by members.
(m) Complaints procedures for students. There is to be a complaints procedure to be available to all students or groups of students who are dissatisfied in their dealings with a union or who claim to have been unfairly disadvantaged by reason of their having exercised the opt-out right referred to in paragraph (c) above, and this complaints procedure is to include provision for an independent person appointed by the governing body to investigate and report on complaints.
The standing orders for each union include provision for a complaints procedure, the Junior Proctor being the independent person to investigate complaints. If the Junior Proctor believes that he or she cannot properly act independently in a particular case he or she will delegate the matter to another Proctor or Pro-Proctor, as provided for in the University regulations.
(n) Remedies. Complaints are to be dealt with promptly and fairly and where a complaint is upheld there should be an effective remedy.
University regulations for the unions require any remedy confirmed after an investigation under 3(m) to be executed by the union without delay. The union is required to notify the Secretary of the CCSSU confirming that the remedy has been implemented. Compliance with these remedies is a condition of University grant to the unions. If a remedy is not implemented, the matter will be referred to the CCSSU so that abatement or termination of University grant, or other measures, can be considered.
4. Governing bodies are to bring to the attention of all students at least once a year the code of practice; any restrictions imposed on the activities of student unions by the law relating to charities; and where applicable, the provisions of section 43 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986 about freedom of speech in universities and colleges, and of any code of practice issued under it relevant to the activities or conduct of unions.
These matters are brought to the attention of students by the publication annually of Proctorial notices; by the publication of the present code of practice in Statutes and Ordinances, and information provided on the University’s online student gateway. An account of the restrictions on the activities of unions, together with information on charity law, and the provisions of Section 43 of the 1986 Act and the University’s code of practice under that section are included on the student gateway at http://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/cambridge-life/student-unions.
5. Governing bodies are to bring to the attention of all students at least once a year and to include in any information generally made available to persons considering whether to become students of the establishment information about the right of opt-out from union membership (paragraph (c) above) and about arrangements made for services for students who have opted out.
This information is given by Proctorial notice and by information for applicants included in prospectuses.
1[This Notice will be referenced as a footnote to this Code of Practice].